Greetings to all the hardy souls who competed in the fifth Dick Travis VC .303 Nationals at Trentham last weekend.
Most shooters have been to the DTVC before but a special welcome was extended to first timers Mike Collings and Malcolm Morrison. Also in
attendance were the family of Dick Travis – Noel and Denise, Keith and Rita and this year Noel also brought over from Australia Dick Travis’s great
great great nephew Zane. It is always great to see familiar and new faces in the Karori Rifle Club (KRC)
The weather was arranged well in advance so we enjoyed two days of sunshine and kind winds at 300 and 500. 600 yards was more challenging and some were
“Trenthamed” by the fickleness. The usual format of 2 matches on the Saturday afternoon and 4 matches on the Sunday was followed. It seems to
work well and provides a good challenge. There have been murmurings a of a change for 2017 with a 500 yard shoot on Saturday morning and a 800 yard 15
shot match to finish on Sunday. This matter has been discussed at KRC and approaches to the powers that be will be made in order to secure the 800
yarder.
The high standard of preparation of rifles was apparent at scrutineering with all entered well up to scratch. The near universal use of hand loaded
match ammo and good shooting equipment was also noted and clearly added to the standard of shooting and high scores shot. Most shooters tend to do this
Championship ‘cold’. By that I mean they may have had a match or two with their .303 rifles prior to the competition and I suspect most turned up to
do the business without having spent huge amounts of time on the range. Trigger time is always a good thing and preparation usually reflects in good
scores.
Although I do get out to Trentham from time to time through the Full Bore season I have only taken my .303 target rifle out twice – it showed when it
came to wind reading. Whereas Nicole picked up her rifle once since DTVC last year! Some shooters seem to be able to adapt on the spot but most need
more time. My suggestion is for all competitors to spend time with these ‘vintage’ target rifles prior to the DTVC and for those who can get to
Trentham to do so and learn the foibles of the wind on that fine range.
That said one thing was apparent. Our scorer, Sam Stevenson, made an aside to me during the 500 yard matches – ‘the scores are up’. That they were with
8 possibles shot over the first 4 matches. This is a good thing and continues the trend of improving scores over the last five years. I am
confident that we will all continue to improve and show that these battle rifles can indeed be tuned and turned into credible target rifles despite
their military origins. The scores are attached and make great reading. The winner for the second time, Karori’s Richard Liddell, shot 5 49’s and a
possible to win. First place was tied going into 600 yards. It was that close. A winning score of 295.25 is the new benchmark and has set a high
standard. Well done Richard.
Another enjoyable aspect of the DTVC is the outstanding butts service given by seasoned target pullers. Quick accurate service makes for settled
shooters with minimum waiting for the result and the ability of a quick follow up shot when the wind remains the same. Thank you to Kiriahi and Rex
McKee and also our scorer Sam Stevenson for another great job.
Although I normally write a comprehensive match report this year I am going to attach a very entertaining report written by competitor Henry Firmston.
The DTVC .303 Nationals have been a success each year and the addition of the excellent cloth badges and for 2016 a purse of $500 has been welcomed by
competitors. Thanks goes out to Firearms Safety Specialists New Zealand Limited ( Nicole McKee) for the cash prize. Also thank you to the Travis
family for their cash prizes for 2nd – Nicole McKee and 3rd – John Ball. This year Noel handed me an envelope with a cash prize for the most
deserving shooter – going to Petone’s Stuart Brown for an outstanding out of the blue double possible at 500 yards.
Over the last five years there have been 32 different shooters who have come to the DTVC shoot. Perhaps one year we will see them all there at the same
time! Those who have come have all left with a grin and a sense of participation in a unique event. The competition and the commemoration of
our Great War VC is there to enjoy.
Best regards to all
Duncan McKee
Match Director
DTVC.
Karori Rifle Club is pleased to announce the winner of the Dick Travis VC 303 National competition for 2016 – Richard Liddell.
Richard was sitting in 3rd place after day one but secured top place by the end of 500 yards on day 2. He showed his skills and kept his cool in demanding wind, retaining his lead to the end.
2nd Place went to last year’s winner Nicole McKee and 3rd place to John Ball from Opotiki.
Visitors from all over the North Island entered the competition, the weather held (although the wind didn’t) and we thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie amongst competitors.
We again hosted the family of Dick Travis VC to Seddon Range, a very special addition to the commemorative shoot. Dick Travis’ great great Grandson paid a visit too.
Thank you to the Karori Rifle Club members who got in behind this event and helped make it the success that it was.
Richard picked up the $500 prize money sponsored by Firearms Safety Specialists NZ as well as earning another shield on the Dick Travis VC trophy.
Photos on the Karori Rifle Club Facebook page
19-20 March 2016
FIRST PRIZE – $500 & DTVC TROPHY Cloth badges for 1st to 10th places – cash prize proudly sponsored by Firearm Safety Specialists NZ Ltd
Dick Travis V.C. Trophy
Sgt. R. C. Travis
V.C., D.C.M., M.M., Croix de Guerre (For.)
Entries are available for the fifth Dick Travis VC National .303 Target Rifle Competition.
Once again, this will be a national competition for .303 rifles in target configuration. Hosted by the Karori Rifle Club, it will be held at the historic Trentham Rifle Range over the weekend 19-20 March 2016. Six matches will be shot over 300, 500 and 600 yards.
A spit roast dinner and social function will be held by the Karori Club on the Saturday night for $15 per head.
Some basic accommodation is available as well as tent sites. There are motels close by.
Entry conditions and costs are available now and can be downloaded from the link above or email the Match Director
This competition will be the fifth WW1 commemorative shoot of this type that is a part of the Wellington Rifle Association program. It is held annually every March. The aim is to provide a venue and occasion for competitive use of accurised historic .303 rifles.
Lest We Forget
Check out the updated Programme
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ywgzeFvuip2Wc4GJitWVvvxsuBtltED_vkedWfWilCU/pub
Quarterly Update Feb 2016 Firearms Community Advisory Forum
Download at Feb 2016 Firearms Community Advisory Forum update
Karori’s Bring Buy & Sell night
Have a look at the Met Service weather report for Upper Hutt
2015 National 1000 Yard Championships of New Zealand
Details of Event:
When: Sunday, 06 December 2015
Sign in: At Karori Rifle Club from 0800 hrs
Cost: $40 per entry, score cards will be handed out at KRC rooms
Where: Seddon Range, Trentham
Details: Self squadding on the mound before the range briefing
2 x 10 counting shots plus 2 sighters
1 x 15 counting shots plus 2 sighters
At the end of each string your squad is to move 2 targets to the right and one person up the Board
The best warm up a shooter can get before the 2016 Nationals. A great day to experience 1000 yards with three events scheduled for the day:
Badges awarded for: A, B, C, Tyro, FO Class and FTR Class
Teams to be entered before the completion of first 1000 yard event.
- Entry Fee all classes – $40
- Entries will be in the Karori Rifle Club
- Manual Targets will be used
- Range briefing on the mound at 8.55am
- Shooting to commence at 9.00am sharp
- NRA Rules to apply
- NRA Grading will apply. (Competitors may enter a higher grade if they wish)
Email: karyn.flanagan@karoririfleclub.co.nz
Advance notification of your intentions to shoot would be appreciated to assist with the planning of markers etc.
NZ Police have recently changed the process for purchasing a firearm, ammunition and air guns through mail order. Below is the link to a comprehensive pamphlet outlining the new requirements along with the new form that is to be used for all mail order purchases. If you purchase firearms, ammunition or airguns through any type of online sales you will need to fulfill these new requirements.
Nga mihi
Nicole McKee
Weather is looking great for 500 yards on Saturday.
The WRA Try Target Shooting is on in the morning, Karyn & Steve will be there helping out with their FTR rifles.